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Six Years Ago
Being the young age of eighteen, no one ever expects their life to take a complete turnaround. Especially not Wendy.
Her life was going perfect, hardly a bump in the road. Not to sound high and mighty, but she never had anything to really complain about, or any struggles that would determine her future. She always was on a straight path that she could see how her life would turn out. Not anymore.
Now she had no idea where life would lead her, not that she necessarily cared. How else could she bare to live on? What would she make of her future now? She didn't know, she didn't care. All she wanted was for the ground to swallow her whole as the ache in her heart grew. She felt as if she'd been stabbed in the back by the universe, this pain being the worst that she's ever endured.
Hearing those three words from the man she learned was a detective, the world around her slowly became mute. Her vision began to blur as tears pooled in her eyes. She understood now why Diana fell to the floor, whimpers leaving her lips as she held her face in her hands. Wendy too crumbled to the porch beneath her, a blood curdling scream leaving her body.
She blacked out in those passing moments, having no idea what she was doing. From what she heard, she was pulling her hair out of her head, the screams never ending, the cries for her family on repeat.
The Kane family were the victims of a horrible plane crash. No survivors. Word is her brother didn't die on impact, that the fire surrounding him was the leading cause of death.
Her body shook as the news was relayed to her, splintering the wood beneath her as she continued to beat at it with her fists. Noticing the blood pouring from her knuckles, Kenny crouched down taking Wendy in his arms to stop her from committing any more harm to her body.
She wept, and bawled, and screamed till she had no more air left in her lungs. Why did she deserve to breathe when her family didn't have that luxury anymore?
After a while she felt numb. Numb to the pain of her reality. That numbness stuck with her for the following week, and even months after their departure.
But now she stood in her foyer, dozens of people scattered around her house to mourn the loss of the Kane family. It was a blur, not really paying attention to who came to tell her their condolences. She didn't care.
Patty stood by her side through and through, helping to comfort Wendy through the pain. She didn't know how it felt to lose everyone in the blink of an eye, but she tried to help Wendy in all ways that she could.
Wendy didn't eat, drink, shower, speak for an entire week before the funeral. The morning of she realized she probably would have to at least shower to try and look the most tamed. But everyone knew she wasn't. During her shower she broke down again for the umpteenth time, allowing the water to clean away her tears.
Family had come, Jenny and Diana were there, friends of the family, Patty and her family, Derek and his family, the Styles family minus Harry. Even Kenny had come. But she spoke to no one. Everyone understood. It's not everyday you lose your entire family and people expect you to be as a good as new.
Wendy heard murmurs from Patty asking Derek where Harry was, that he may be an asshole but this is next level. Wendy zoned out after that. Normally she would think about what a shit move that is to not attend one of your friend's family's funeral, but she didn't want to think about anything at all, and frankly, she wasn't surprised. He hated her anyhow.
Patty stood next to her hold, holding her hand and guided her to sit down on the staircase. It broke Patty to see Wendy like this, completely emotionless, cheeks burned red from her continuing cries at night. That's when she really broke down, when she thought no one would hear her whimpers. But Patty heard it all. Every night Patty would enter Wendy's room and bring her into an embrace, letting Wendy bawl her eyes out until she grew tired and fell asleep in her arms.
Wendy sat on the stairs, legs bent below her, sitting slouched over, arms placed on her knees as her head hung low, like she was ashamed of her actions. Patty sat next to her and Derek beside her, away from the crowd of people that loitered in the spacious living room and attached kitchen.
The talked amongst themselves, trying to include Wendy in their conversations but the most she would do is just gently shake her head in response meaning she didn't want to talk. She hardly listened to what they were saying anyway.
Kenny came over to the trio, planting a kiss on Wendy's head, caressing her cheek gently before bidding his farewell. He made smalltalk with whoever was around but he felt too uncomfortable to associate himself with anyone there, so he decided to leave.
It was then that Wendy excused herself to the bathroom wanting to step away from the tense atmosphere. She practically ran upstairs, locking herself in the bathroom.
Standing in front of the vanity, Wendy took a good look at her appearance. She looked like a wreck to put it nicely. After her shower she didn't bother trying to contain her hair, now it was still damp with hairs flying around in a frizz. Bags as dark as her dress were evident under her eyes. She didn't bother to put on makeup. She didn't feel the need to dress up pretty when inside she felt like pure and utter shit.
Her upper lip twitched as the sob that was held in all day wanted to escape its restraints. The never ending liquid from within her body pooled in her eyes, finally letting loose as she closed her eyes to let out the incessant crying.
Wendy cradled her head in her arms, ripping the roots of her hair as hard as she could. Without even intending to, she let out the loudest scream she could muster. She couldn't fake being emotionless any longer with the crowd downstairs. She was weak and she knew she was.
Grabbing the first thing she saw, being a container for soap, she threw it as hard she could at the mirror in front of her, glass shards flying all across the tiny room. She heard footsteps pound their way up the stairs and across the linoleum floor, banging on the door to her left sounding throughout the room moments later.
"Wendy!" Patty screamed, trying to budge open the door. This made Wendy cry even louder as memories of her brother came flooding through her mind. The last time Wendy locked herself in this bathroom was when she pulled this massive prank on Adrian, his relentless screaming of her name and knocking on the wood door just like what Patty was doing now.
"Please open up," Patty muttered, a tear of her own escaping her eye. Even though Wendy was still there physically, it was as if Wendy died in the plane crash herself, her mental state being as close to dead as it could be.
Wendy envisioned her to have her forehead on the door, giving up the screaming, knowing that would get her nowhere. Most likely frightened Wendy even more.
After a few more moments, Wendy slowly eased the door open, wiping away the last few remaining tears.
"Oh my God," Patty gasped, taking in the appearance of Wendy and the bathroom. One glass shard grazed Wendy's face, a scratch mark across her cheek. Wendy didn't feel any pain.
Glass littered the floor making Patty very cautious in walking in and escorting Wendy out. Jenny immediately grabbed a broom and dustpan, cleaning up the mess.
Patty guided Wendy to another bathroom to clean her face, but Wendy broke free of her grasp flying down the stairs and outside. All eyes were on her as she sped outside, confusion and sympathy lining their faces.
Wendy was a broken girl.
She threw open the front door, taking in the fresh air of the outside. The hole in the porch that Wendy punched herself still stood out in the middle of the wood, Wendy being careful not to step in it. She didn't need more splinters after it was so difficult to get the others from her knuckles out.
Patty came after her, Derek close behind, closing the door behind him not wanting lingering eyes on them. "Wendy, please calm down."
"I can't just calm down!" Wendy screamed. "I feel like I'm being suffocated in there. I feel like all of their eyes are on me like I'm about to detonate. I feel like being dead would be much easier than trapped in there!"
Again tears escaped her eyes as she continued to scream and rant. Patty just let her, knowing that it was best she let out all of her emotions instead of bottling them up inside.
"Why did they have to die? What did they do to deserve that? What did I do to deserve this?"
"I don't even know how to function anymore. Yeah, my parents were traveling a lot, but they're still my goddamned family and I miss them so fucking much!"
"They were just promoting a book! My brother was just seeing the world! Why did this have to happen?"
"I haven't even seen half of those people my entire life! But now is when they want to stop by? Fuck them all!"
"And that's some best friend you have there Derek. He didn't even care enough to make an appearance. I know we have our differences but this is just next level low. Even his fucking family came and he didn't!"
They let her scream and rant for as long as she needed. She screamed to the sky, wanting the world to hear her in agony. She didn't care that she was making a scene, she didn't care that she cursing at the world. It was a mystery Wendy still even had her voice after all of her screaming.
Finally done, Wendy took a seat on the steps of the porch, looking out into the long driveway ahead of her packed with cars. She wanted every single one of them to leave. Leave her alone to her demons.
She noticed movement in the distance, like a car was parking on the street at the end of the driveway. She didn't pay much attention to it, not caring about anything in the slightest.
Patty sat beside her wrapping her arms around her best friend.
"I miss them so much," Wendy whispered leaning her head on Patty's shoulder.
"And you know the worst part?" Patty shook her head.
"This time they would still be away, but it's the fact that I know they'll never be stepping foot through that door again. That— that I'll never see their faces again. The day they were supposed to come home is going to be the worst, because I know they're not," Wendy spoke in a hushed tone, closing her eyes to envision her family once again. Patty stayed quiet, not knowing what to say.
"My dad is supposed to walk me down the aisle, my mom is supposed to coach me through my first baby, my brother is. . . well he's still supposed to be my annoying older brother." Patty laughed at Wendy's attempt at humor in this serious matter.
"They'll always be with you. Never forget that," Patty murmured, kissing the top of Wendy's head.
Wendy could feel Derek gently coax his hand up and down her back in a reassuring manner. Silence fell over them as Wendy was too exhausted to talk anymore, and she didn't have anything else to say.
The chatter inside could still be heard, small laughter resonating outside as people spoke stories of the late Kane family or random stories and gossip.
Wendy's ears perked up however at the sound of someone walking ahead of them. Her thoughts were confirmed when Derek spoke up to speak to the unidentified person.
"And where the hell have you been?"
"Busy," his deep voice spoke. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.
Wendy scoffed at his statement as Patty now spoke up. "Busy? Really? That's the best you could come up with?"
Wendy picked her head up to look at the boy in front of her. His eyes looked down to his feet as shame took over him. He really had no excuse for not being there.
Wendy stood up no longer wanting to be outside in his presence. Being around him was more suffocating than being inside. He disgusted her beyond belief and she couldn't wait to get away from him. The remembrance that he was leaving for England soon surfaced in her brain, making her wish he would leave quicker.
Just about to step through the threshold of the house his voice stopped her in her tracks. "Wendy, I'm, uh. . . I'm sorry for your loss."
She stood in her place for a couple of seconds soaking in his words. But she didn't care.
And then she left.
—
hi i decided to update quickly because i probably won't be updating for about a week or so :/
hope y'all enjoyed, i'll be honest this chapter made me really sad, and now sad! by xxxtentacion came on lol bye
stay rad xo
-g